The MCU Revealed Another Time Jump With Its ‘Black Panther 3’ Announcement
Black Panther 3 (2028) was one of the biggest announcements at SDCC 2026, with Ryan Coogler confirmed to be returning to the series. The other part of the announcement was that David Jonsson of Alien: Romulus (2024) will be joining the franchise as T’Challa II, the son of T’Challa and Nakia who debuted in the final moments of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). T’Challa II will be set to take up his father’s mantle both as King and hero, cementing the themes of legacy set up by Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Black Panther (2018).
It’s a good idea on how to carry on the series, but it does raise one very serious question: how will T’Challa’s son be old enough to become Black Panther if he’s only a child in the present continuity? It raises some strong possibilities about the future shape of the MCU, especially following the events of the next two Avengers films. One obvious solution might be staring us in the face, though—and it would radically reshape the entire universe in the process.
‘Black Panther 3’ Has to Age Up T’Challa’s Son
Black Panther 3 was formally confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, with the film set to follow T'Challa II as he tries to take on the mantle of both King of Wakanda and Black Panther. Confirmed for a 2028 release, the film will follow the boy introduced at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as a grown man trying to live up to his father’s legacy. That presents an interesting challenge to the MCU timeline, though. Given that Avengers: Endgame (2019) featured a five-year time skip to 2023 and that T’Challa and Nakia conceived the child before Endgame but some time after the events of Black Panther in 2016, T’Challa II would be 5 or 6 at the oldest during the events of Endgame.
Since it’s been suggested that Wakanda Forever takes place in 2025, he would be 7 or 8 when he met his Aunt Shuri. Current MCU content like The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) seems to be happening in 2028; that means T’Challa II will have aged up to 10 or 11 in the current MCU. That’s still far too young for David Jonsson to play him in the next film, suggesting that at least another 10 years (if not more) will have to have occurred between Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Black Panther 3 for the timeline to make sense and for the character to be old enough to become Black Panther.
‘Black Panther 3’ May Be Teasing a Time-Skip for the MCU
A decade-long time-skip isn’t out of the question for the MCU, which has previously used the storytelling mechanic to move the timeline forward at some key points. They’ve already done five-year time-skips, after all. However, a ten-year gap is a much bigger one—and it would be a good way to justify the now much older T’Challa II being capable of becoming the next Black Panther. There’s also the perfect opening for such a reinvention and reintroduction of the world given the upcoming Avengers films.
The double-whammy of Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) resolving the Multiverse Saga means it’s going to give the franchise a natural opening to do a fresh slate for the future of the universe. If there’s not going to be a formal reboot of the entire universe, then a time-skip might be a naturally good way for the series to move forward and give T’Challa II the time he needs to grow into his role as Black Panther. It would also set up Black Panther 3 to have established a new status quo for Wakanda, one that allows for characters like M’Baku or Denzel Washington’s supposed villain to have changed the nation. A time-skip benefits that entire corner of the universe.
Why a Time-Skip for the MCU Is Good for the Franchise
Even beyond just the Black Panther films, a ten-year time-skip could be great for the future of the MCU as a whole. It would put some natural space between the current era of the franchise and its future, giving audiences a clean slate ahead of the future of the series. Given the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a decade-long time-jump could cement Spider-Man’s place as New York City’s biggest hero and the true inheritor to Iron Man’s legacy. It would also allow Spider-Man to be old enough that he could develop a better dynamic with a live-action Miles Morales, replicating the winning core of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).
It would be an easy way to explain why the younger heroes like Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye have aged so much since their last appearance, allowing the supposed “Young Avengers” to just become the Avengers of this new era even without a lot of films detailing their adventures. It would also be a great way to create a proper runway for the MCU X-Men, especially if they want the team dynamic/vibes of something like X-Men ‘97 (2024). Jean has been established in the MCU to be around the same age as Peter, putting her in her late teens/early twenties during Brand New Day. A ten-year time-skip would allow Jean to have been trained off-screen and ready to lead from the field or teach from the Xavier Institute in an X-Men movie. Black Panther 3’s plot would require a time-skip, but it might be to the benefit of the entire franchise.
